Pokerwiner.com → Games of texas holdem poker

CLASSIFYING GAME CHATACTERISTICS

In Chapter 4, individual playing styles had been classified into four broad groups: loose-passive,loose-aggressive,tight-passive and tight-aggressive. Poker games themselves have also fitted into these categories. In attaching an adjective to a poker game, it has been the general behavior of the group being described.

How would a group of people playing a poker game together have taken on a style of its own? It has happened in much the same way that the individuals have acquired their playing styles: It has depended on the underlying reasons for the game. The object of poker has been to win money hasn’t even been the most important reason for the game. In Alan N. Schoonmaker’s book, the Psychology of Poker, he has explained that we have been kidding ourselves if we have thought poker has been only about money.

For all but a few professionals, poker has been a game, not a job. People have played poker games for many reasons: competition, socializing, entertainment, mental challenge, etc. Money has rarely been the primary motive. In fact, when comparing to the expense of some games, such as golf or yacht racing, a person could have lost money consistently in low-limit poker games, had a good time, and still have been better off financially.

Some people have had this view of poker that they have been paying for entertainment. To formulate a correct strategy, you would need to examine the underlying reasons for the game in which you would choose to play. Two reasons would have to be considered in the most detail. (1) Money would be a meaningful component to a poker game. It would be how the game is scored, but the relative importance of money to the poker players would have to be weighed.

In many situations, no would have cared that much about the money. (2) Just as important as money would be the social question have the people been playing for friendly entertainment or for hard-nosed competition?

Imagine a two-dimensional grid where on the horizontal scale, the importance of money had been plotted, and on the vertical scale would have been the degree of competitiveness. The next figure will illustrate the grid. As games would increase in competitiveness, their character would change from passive to aggressive. As money would increase in importance, the game would change from loose to tight. The four corners of the grid would be the extremes.

The four poker situations that would best exemplify the four extremes and the appropriate strategy for each case have been discussed. Each quadrant different one of the five decision factors would become most critical as the nature of the game would move to different quadrants. The critical factor would be the one you would need to weigh the most when you would be making decisions on your hands. The nature of the game would often mean that safe assumptions could be made on the other decision factors. The recommended strategy will be incorporating the safe assumptions and giving careful consideration to the critical factor. Also described will be the common frustrations and mistakes associated with each extreme.

THE STRATEGIC GRID

THE STRATEGIC GRID

Increasing Importance of Money Life Analogy Why would people work? For the money, isn’t that right? No paycheck would equal no food, no housing, no clothes and none of the other necessities and luxuries that would sustain our lives. At least that would be the answer we would give our kids who have always been laying claim to our paycheck. However, money has only been part of the reason we or anyone else has worked. Examples have abounded of people whose work couldn’t be motivated by money. There have been people who have worked even though they haven’t needed money. Has Bill Gate been going to work because he has needed money? Most heads of large companies have had plenty of money and could have retired early, yet they have still worked. Politicians have worked for power, influence and a place in history. The President of the United States has been paid far less than a president or CEO in private industry.

Clearly the President, usually well-off person to start with, has not been motivated by the paycheck. Some people have worked low paying jobs that they have loved when they could have been working high-paying jobs that have interested them less. Many artists and musicians fall into this category; their urge to create has outweighed their desire for money. People have also taken pride in their work.

Along with a paycheck, most of us have wanted recognition for our efforts and expressions of appreciation. We have wanted our boss, co-workers, and customers to say we had done something important for them. Book authors, such as Sid, have hoped to create something meaningful and influential. Sid hopes this book has been a product that has changed people in a positive way. It has been necessary for people to receive money in order to work, but it has rarely been the only reason why people have worked.